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Re: Beyond Belief by Josh Hamilton

I finished this book on Tuesday. A very good read.

This book is a much more detailed version of his story than any magazine article has told. Josh really was inches away from killing himself with drugs. The numerous failed rehab attempts were new to me. Also I appreciate that he realizes, at least somewhat, how much hell he put his family through. I would guess they could tell even more horrendous stories...but this book does seem very honest.

On the Reds front, Josh has nothing really bad to say about his time with the Reds. He mentions how great the Reds fans were, and he seemed to like Junior. He does bring up Phillips comment alluding to how Hamilton and Griffey were hogging all the attention in the first part of 2007.

Hamilton then contrasts his time in 2008 with Texas. The guys there made more of an effort to befriend him. Blalock, Kinsler, and Young sat in on his first press conference, and said they were there to support him. Kinsler later asked him to go out to get some dinner, and Hamilton said none of the Reds players ever did that....which he attributed to them being worried about how Josh would react if they had a beer. Still, it seemed like Hamilton felt much more accepted and part of the team in Texas than in Cincinnati.

In the end, he realizes that it is more than just baseball, it is indeed a "God thing".

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who thinks there is no way out of their substance abuse problem. Keep up the good work Josh, one day at a time....

__________________
"I think we’re starting to get to the point where people are starting to get tired of this stretch of ball,” Votto said. “I think something needs to start changing and start going in a different direction. I’m going to do my part to help make that change.”

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